Economists who studied in the '80s tend to have a pretty crude neoclassical view that's just about freeing up prices and markets, and then you'll get the growth and everybody benefits. And they'll just repeat that, because if you're a minister or a senior civil servant, you don't have time to read anything anymore. You get very fixed in your views.
Duncan GreenThe question, "When did you last listen to a poor person properly and try to understand what's going on inside their own experience?" enables you to connect.
Duncan GreenYou have a huge number of people who spend their time writing papers which show that migrants pay more to the country than they take out in benefits, and they say, "Why don't you approve of migration? Why don't you open up borders?" They're not able to empathize with how people feel about migration.
Duncan GreenIn the end, that's a blind alley - we have to get back to being able to think on our feet and react.
Duncan GreenTo be effective at selling ideas, at being a lobbyist, influencing other people, you have to be very sure of yourself.
Duncan GreenThere's a diversion between economic reality - integration, global village, everybody depending on everybody else - and cultural reality, which is people feeling invaded, undermined, threatened, wanting to have "stand-your-ground" legislation all over the place. It's alarming because at the moment, the fear is outweighing the benefits, and that's partially because the benefits have been so unequally distributed that lots of people don't feel better off. They feel threatened, angry and despairing.
Duncan Green